Friday, February 27, 2004
All right, the news you've all been waiting for: Adam's review of "The Passion of the Christ." I saw it in a packed out Sayre Theatre last night and must say rumors of it's being powerful are extremely underrated. From the scene in the Garden of Gethsemane where Christ crushes the head of Satan's serpent to the final cut where the risen Lord strides out of the empty tomb the story of the Gospels comes shining through. Good thing my father wasn't going anywhere quickly afterwards or I would have been left behind. It was very quiet in the movie theatre except for snuffling on the way out. Is it bloody? Yes, indeed. Definitely not recommended for children under the age of 12.
As for the charges of anti-Semitism, tell these people to stop pretending they care anything about the Jews. I make no claim to understand why Mel Gibson of all people has suddenly become a fundamentalist Christian, at least in media land, but the people who claim he is trying to raise anti-Jewish sentiment are grasping at straws. As for the claim that Satan personified appears only among the Jews, he/she actually does appear while the Romans are beating Jesus. And while Pontious Pilate is something of a sympathetic character, the Romans who actually crucify Jesus are crude and cruel as well. By the way, the Jews did kill Jesus. This is coming from a pro-Israel, pro-Jewish individual. The Romans weren't going to crucify Him for blasphemy, you may be sure of that. Is this a justification of anti-Semitism? By no means! Anti-semitism, like all prejudice, is not a rational, reasonable position. It is simply blind hatred. Anyone who would go out of this movie with prejudice against the Jews had it when he came in. He would not get it from the movie.
My guess? The mainstream media was able to dismiss Ron Maxwell's pro-Christian "Gods and Generals" last summer and neutralize comments about Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings". Mel Gibson they cannot ignore. He's just too big a name. So they must ridicule and slander him somehow. He's certainly never done this before. But the media is at last beginning to lose the momentum in this culture war and it's driving them crazy. So they hysterically denounce this movie and so raise the ire of the Christian community that the film is en route to $100 million in its first week. I would have cheered it for no other reason.
My rating of this film (out of 10): 9.5. Don't take young children to see it but I strongly recommend parents and older children viewing this movie. It is an accurate depiction of Jesus' death and resurrection that will give you a new appreciation of what He has done for you.
As for the charges of anti-Semitism, tell these people to stop pretending they care anything about the Jews. I make no claim to understand why Mel Gibson of all people has suddenly become a fundamentalist Christian, at least in media land, but the people who claim he is trying to raise anti-Jewish sentiment are grasping at straws. As for the claim that Satan personified appears only among the Jews, he/she actually does appear while the Romans are beating Jesus. And while Pontious Pilate is something of a sympathetic character, the Romans who actually crucify Jesus are crude and cruel as well. By the way, the Jews did kill Jesus. This is coming from a pro-Israel, pro-Jewish individual. The Romans weren't going to crucify Him for blasphemy, you may be sure of that. Is this a justification of anti-Semitism? By no means! Anti-semitism, like all prejudice, is not a rational, reasonable position. It is simply blind hatred. Anyone who would go out of this movie with prejudice against the Jews had it when he came in. He would not get it from the movie.
My guess? The mainstream media was able to dismiss Ron Maxwell's pro-Christian "Gods and Generals" last summer and neutralize comments about Peter Jackson's "Lord of the Rings". Mel Gibson they cannot ignore. He's just too big a name. So they must ridicule and slander him somehow. He's certainly never done this before. But the media is at last beginning to lose the momentum in this culture war and it's driving them crazy. So they hysterically denounce this movie and so raise the ire of the Christian community that the film is en route to $100 million in its first week. I would have cheered it for no other reason.
My rating of this film (out of 10): 9.5. Don't take young children to see it but I strongly recommend parents and older children viewing this movie. It is an accurate depiction of Jesus' death and resurrection that will give you a new appreciation of what He has done for you.
// posted by The Pendragon @ 8:47 AM 
